What the digirati want in 2008

2008 will see the iPhone getting offcially launched in India. However, we do wish to see the next version of the device, the iPhone 2, appearing on the horizon with features like 3G, Wi-Fi, no camera zoom that the ancestor missed.

Google's Android phone

While 2007 saw Google getting into the mobile phone space with the launch of its operating system Android. Taiwanese player HTC is working with Google on the hardware and we do hope to see handsets running on Android in 2008. While speculations hint at August as the time when the first handset on Android will be launched, there is a possibility of getting a glimpse of the first such device at the Mobile World Congress to be held at Barcelona in February, considering Google is also participating at the event.

A touchscreen BlackBerry

We do hope to see Research in Motion's BlackBerry to come up in a completely touchscreen avatar in 2008. Reports on the internet indicate the 9*** series of devices would sport a touch based interface, much inspired from iPhone. Last year, the company launched devices like the Pearl and the Curve for the techies who wouldn't mind a dose of fashion. While the touchscreen BlackBerry may further that position, we wonder if it would be very convenient for e-mailing, the feature the devices are most famous for.

Compact printer

Clicking pictures from cellphones is fine but the future of most of these images is that they are deleted most of the time of if the memory in your phone is decent enough, they lie stacked in the image gallery. Even though Bluetooth printers for mobile phones are available in the market, the number of people getting their pictures printed would be very small. What if there were printers that would be as compact as mobile phones and would also fit into one's pocket? We do pray that happens.

Video pen drive

Let's get a little ambitious in 2008. How about a pen drive that let's you watch your downloaded videos on your TV screen? Well with SanDisk Sansa TakeTV Video Player Pen Drive aquires a different dimension. The working is rather simple. Just download the videos to the TakeTV flash drive and plug it into the TakeTV cradle for viewing. That's it, no wires, cables or complicated hookups, just plug and play with the included remote. Available in 4GB capacity which holds approximately five hours of video, and 8GB, which can hold up to ten hours of video it is available today for $99.99 ( Rs 4,000) and $149.99 (Rs 6,000) respectively. In India you could order it from BestBuy, Circuit City, Costco or Office Depot with an extra 18.62 per cent duty on the listed price.

Printing sans toner or ink?

ZINK or Zero Ink is a US based technology company with solutions like a ZINK paper that has embedded crystals of CMY colours covered with a polymer overcoat and prints stuff without a toner or ink when used with a ZINK enabled device. Some of the products that ZINK is working on are a mobile printer and an integrated digital camera and printer. While the former appears to be a handy printer for camera phones, the latter will allow users to click pictures, view them on the display, heat the chemicals in the ZINK paper bringing the image to the surface.

Apple TV

Apple seems hell bent on ruling our digital entertainment experience. This time it's AppleTV. Instead of watching a movie on your computer, you can wirelessly sync it from your Mac or PC to Apple TV and from there to your Widescreen TV. Priced at Rs12,000 for 40 GB and Rs16000 for 160 GB it may just give your digital entertainment that extra dazzle.